'Flights are crazy': Travelers at General Mitchell International face delays, some cancellations

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- It's the day before Christmas and many are still trying to get home or go see loved ones.

Travelers at Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport faced multiple delays and some cancellations on Saturday, Dec. 24.

Some told CBS 58's Ellie Nakamoto-White that while flying on Christmas Eve was "stressful", it was worth it to be united with loved ones for the holiday. 

Vinnie Angellotti of Waukesha said he flew back from Seattle with his fiancé to see his family. 

"We were scared at first, I mean you know so many delays and Seattle's just raining all day and it was like crazy icy yesterday," Angellotti said. "We were pretty nervous. We kept checking and checking like all throughout the night like my fiancé didn't even sleep. She kept waking up every few hours to check."

Even though it’s the day before Christmas, @MKEairport doesn’t seem as busy as one may expect. I spoke with travelers facing cancellations and delays as they try and get to loved ones, coming up on @CBS58 at 9/10. pic.twitter.com/4peGd8l4VX

— Ellie Nakamoto-White (@ellienw_news) December 25, 2022

Madalyn Lehmann said her flight to Sacramento to spend Christmas with her boyfriend's family had been delayed several times.

"It kept getting delayed like 15 minutes and I'm like, 'oh my goodness,' am I gonna make my connecting flight?" Lehmann said. "If this flight gets canceled tonight, I'm not gonna make it there because I was looking for flights for even tomorrow in case anything were to happen and yeah, it's booked until the 27th out there."

Janine and Greg Hake of Mukwonago were waiting for their son inside of the terminal.

"One of our sons is flying in from Orlando, Florida. It's been delayed multiple times," Janine said. 

Their other son's flight was canceled.

"He was supposed to fly in this morning from Philadelphia, so he's supposed to fly in now tomorrow morning on Christmas morning, but I don't know. We'll see, we hope. We're crossing our fingers," Janine said. 

She added that they plan to cherish every moment they have together as a family.

"When you have less time to spend with your kids too, when they're all in different areas of the country, you want every moment you can and then you get cheated out of a day or more so that's really hard," Janine said. 

Tyler Wanke and his family were planning to head to Las Vegas for a vacation but said traveling had been "hectic" due to the winter storm.

"Thankfully, we didn't fly last night. Our flight was supposed to be at four and now it's pushed back 'til almost seven o'clock or so," Wanke said. "It is what it is, and we'll get there eventually."